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DECREE

On management of external information activities

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Pursuant to the 2013 Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam;

Pursuant to the December 25, 2001 Law on Organization of the Government;

Pursuant to the June 18, 2009 Law on Overseas Representative Missions of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam;

At the proposal of the Minister of Information and Communications,

The Government promulgates the Decree on management of external information activities.

Chapter I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope of regulation

This Decree prescribes the management of external information activities; and responsibilities of ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-attached agencies and People’s Committees of provinces and centrally run cities (below referred to as provincial-level People’s Committees) for the management and implementation of external information activities.

Article 2. Subjects of application

This Decree applies to ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-attached agencies, provincial-level People’s Committees; and agencies and organizations engaged in external information activities.

Article 3. Principles of external information activities

1. To conform with guidelines of the Party, laws of the State, and treaties to which the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a contracting party; to conform with laws and customs and practices of host countries.

2. Not to affect national security, social order and safety, prestige, image, foreign relations and international cooperation of Vietnam; to protect state secrets.

3. Not to incite the people to act against the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam or undermine the national unity bloc; not to provoke violence, propagandize wars of aggression and sow hatred among ethnicities and peoples of countries.

4. To ensure information be accurate, timely and conformable with external information orientations set by the Party and the State in each period and approved external information programs and plans; not to make untruthful, distortional and slanderous news in order to offend the honor of organizations and honor and dignity of citizens.

Article 4. State management of external information

1. The Government shall perform the uniform state management of external information activities.

a/ The Ministry of Information and Communications shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-attached agencies, provincial-level People’s Committees and related agencies in, performing the state management of external information;

b/ The Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-attached agencies and provincial-level People’s Committees in, carrying out external information activities overseas;

c/ Other ministries and sectors shall manage and carry out external information activities within the scope and fields under their state management as assigned;

d/ Provincial-level People’s Committees shall perform the state management of external information activities in their localities.

2. Contents of state management of external information:

a/ To develop and propose competent agencies to promulgate or promulgate according to competence legal documents, strategies, master plans, plans and programs on external information activities;

b/ To organize and manage scientific research into external information; to provide professional training, refresher training and retraining for external information forces;

c/ To manage, guide, proactively provide information for Vietnamese news and press agencies; to proactively provide information for foreign news and press agencies; to provide information for overseas Vietnamese and international communities; to provide information on the world situation into Vietnam;

d/ To carry out international cooperation on external information activities;

dd/ To inspect, examine, handle violations and settle complaints and denunciations in external information activities in accordance with law;

e/ To hold preliminary and final reviews of external information activities; to propose commendation and reward as well as discipline for agencies, organizations and individuals engaged in external information activities.

Article 5. Funds for external information activities

Funds for external information activities of ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-attached agencies and provincial-level People’s Committees shall come from the state budget according to the current state budget decentralization and other lawful sources. Annually, based on plans on external information activities of ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-attached agencies and provincial-level People’s Committees assigned by competent authorities, agencies and units shall make cost estimates for implementation, include them in their budget estimates and submit them to finance agencies for submission to competent authorities for consideration and decision in accordance with the State Budget Law.

Chapter II

EXTERNAL INFORMATION ACTIVITIES

Article 6. External information

External information comprises official information on Vietnam, information promoting the image of Vietnam, and information on the world situation into Vietnam.

Article 7. Provision of official information on Vietnam

1. Official information on Vietnam means information on guidelines of the Party, policies and laws of the State; information on the situation of Vietnam in various fields; information on the history of Vietnam and other information.

2. Official information on Vietnam shall be proactively provided to international communities and overseas Vietnamese by ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-attached agencies and provincial-level People’s Committees according to their functions, tasks and powers.

3. Official information on Vietnam may be provided in the following forms:

a/ Official statements delivered at international events and forums, international press conferences and national press conferences;

b/ Official statements of state management agencies;

c/ External activities of state management agencies;

d/ External activities, making of statements, organization of events, publication of information on websites and other activities of overseas representative missions of Vietnam;

dd/ News programs and products of press agencies of the Government, including Vietnam News Agency, Vietnam Television and Voice of Vietnam;

e/ Publication on Vietnam Government Web Portal, the external information website, and web portals of ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-attached agencies and provincial-level People’s Committees;

g/ State agencies’ publications in Vietnamese and foreign languages.

4. The provision of official information on Vietnam in all forms must comply with current law.

Article 8. Provision of information promoting the image of Vietnam

1. Information promoting the image of Vietnam means information on the land, people, history and culture of the Vietnamese nation.

2. Information promoting the image of Vietnam may be provided to international communities and overseas Vietnamese by agencies, organizations and individuals.

3. Information promoting the image of Vietnam may be provided in the following forms:

a/ Publications in Vietnamese and foreign languages;

b/ Events organized in Vietnam and overseas;

c/ News products of the mass media;

d/ Events organized by Vietnam Culture Centers abroad;

dd/ Products of foreign news and press agencies and communication companies;

e/ External and international cooperation activities of agencies, organizations and individuals.

4. The provision of information promoting the image of Vietnam in all forms must comply with Vietnamese law and laws of host countries.

Article 9. Provision of information on the world situation into Vietnam

1. Information on the world situation into Vietnam means information on the world situation in various fields, information on relations between Vietnam and other countries and other information aiming to boost political, social, cultural, defense and security relations between Vietnam and other countries; serve national economic development; and step up the international integration of Vietnam.

2. Information on the world situation into Vietnam shall be collected, summarized and provided to competent agencies, the press and people of Vietnam by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ministries, ministerial-level agencies, overseas representative missions of Vietnam, other overseas agencies and organizations of Vietnam and news and press agencies of the Government (Vietnam News Agency, Vietnam Television, Voice of Vietnam) according to their law-prescribed functions, tasks and powers.

3. Information on the world situation into Vietnam may be provided by the agencies and organizations specified in Clause 2 of this Article in the following forms:

a/ Through spokespersons;

b/ Publication on web portals and websites;

c/ At regular press conferences and press briefings;

d/ Through the mass media.

4. The provision of information on the world situation into Vietnam must comply with current regulations concerning the forms specified in Clause 3 of this Article.

Article 10. Provision of explaining and clarifying information

1. Explaining and clarifying information means materials, documents, records and arguments which explain and clarify slanted information on Vietnam in various fields.

2. When receiving slanted information, documents or reports that affect the prestige and image of Vietnam from organizations and individuals abroad and at home, ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-attached agencies, provincial-level People’s Committees and related agencies shall proactively provide materials, documents, records and arguments for explanation and clarification; and take necessary public information measures to protect and promote the prestige and image of Vietnam.

3. The Ministry of Information and Communications, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and related ministries and agencies shall, according to their law-prescribed functions, tasks and powers, review foreign news to detect slanted information on Vietnam and notify to concerned ministries and agencies to proactively provide explaining and clarifying information and concurrently to the Ministry of Information and Communications for monitoring, summarization and reporting to the Prime Minister.

Article 11. External information website

1. The external information website shall provide official information and information promoting the image of Vietnam on the internet.

2. The Ministry of Information and Communications shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with related ministries and agencies in, managing and operating the external information website; ensuring full update of information meeting external information requirements.

Article 12. Database on external information

1. The database on external information is a system of data digitalized and integrated from data systems of ministries, ministerial-level agencies and provincial-level People’s Committees to serve the external information task.

2. The database on external information is a source to provide official information on Vietnam to the mass media at home and abroad and serves information search, learning and research into Vietnam.

3. The Ministry of Information and Communications shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-attached agencies, provincial-level People’s Committees and related agencies in, developing, managing and exploiting the database on external information.

4. Ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-attached agencies, provincial-level People’s Committees, overseas representative missions of Vietnam and Vietnamese news and press agencies shall provide information for the development and completion of the database on external information.

Article 13. External publications

1. External publications means publications in Vietnamese and foreign languages which provide official information on Vietnam and promote the image of Vietnam to international communities and overseas Vietnamese.

2. The Ministry of Information and Communications shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-attached agencies, provincial-level People’s Committees and related agencies in, developing plans to publish and distribute external publications in specific fields.

Article 14. Overseas events

1. Overseas events include the Vietnam Day overseas and other events held by ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-attached agencies and provincial-level People’s Committees in order to promote the land, people, history and culture of the Vietnamese nation, enhance the friendship and relations with other countries, and mobilize and attract investment and tourism, exchange trade and expand cooperation.

2. The Government shall prescribe the organization of the Vietnam Day overseas.

3. Overseas representative missions of Vietnam, overseas bureaus of Vietnamese news and press agencies and overseas Vietnam Culture Centers shall coordinate with and support ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-attached agencies and provincial-level People’s Committees in organizing events in host countries.

4. Agencies hosting overseas events shall coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Information and Communications and related agencies in developing plans for organizing these events.

5. Ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-attached agencies and provincial-level People’s Committees shall make reports on results of overseas events according to regulations and currently send them to the Ministry of Information and Communications for summarization and reporting.

Article 15. Support and cooperation with foreign news and press agencies, communication companies and reporters to promote Vietnam overseas

1. Foreign news and press agencies, communication companies and reporters shall be supported and facilitated in writing news and articles and producing programs and publications in order to introduce Vietnam in the foreign mass media.

2. The Ministry of Information and Communications shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with related agencies in, developing mechanisms and policies for the support and cooperation prescribed in Clause 1 of this Article.

3. Information and press activities of foreign news and press agencies and communication companies in Vietnam must comply with the Government’s Decree No. 88/2012/ND-CP of October 23, 2012, on information and press activities of the foreign press, foreign representative missions and foreign organizations in Vietnam, and relevant legal documents.

Article 16. Overseas representative missions of Vietnam

1. Overseas representative missions of Vietnam shall provide information on the situation of host countries, bilateral relations and other information into Vietnam for competent agencies in accordance with Articles 5, 6, 7 and 9 of the Law on Overseas Representative Missions of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

2. Overseas representative missions of Vietnam shall provide information on Vietnam to introduce and promote the image of Vietnam through their websites, press conferences, interviews and other activities. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall direct and guide overseas representative missions of Vietnam in performing the above tasks.

3. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall direct overseas representative missions of Vietnam in developing websites in English and native languages; and updating information on Vietnam from the database on external information.

Article 17. Overseas bureaus of Vietnamese news and press agencies

1. Overseas bureaus of Vietnamese news and press agencies (below referred to as overseas news bureaus) shall provide information on the situation of host countries into Vietnam for press agencies of the Government.

2. Overseas news bureaus shall:

a/ Coordinate with related ministries and agencies in introducing and promoting the image of the land, people, history and culture of the Vietnamese nation; provide information on the socio-economic situation, guidelines of the Party and policies and law of the State of Vietnam;

b/ Coordinate and implement international cooperation programs in the fields of information and press.

3. Vietnamese news and press agencies shall direct their overseas news bureaus in providing information and participating in activities serving external information tasks at the request of the Ministry of Information and Communications; and periodically and irregularly report to the Ministry of Information and Communications and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on external information activities of their overseas news bureaus.

Chapter III

RESPONSIBILITIES FOR MANAGEMENT OF EXTERNAL INFORMATION ACTIVITIES

Article 18. The Ministry of Information and Communications

1. To assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with related agencies in, developing and guiding the implementation of, legal documents, strategies, master plans, plans and programs on external information.

2. To guide external information contents to domestic news and press agencies.

3. To assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with professional agencies in, carrying out international cooperation on external information activities.

4. To assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with related agencies in, examining and assessing the effectiveness of external information work of ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-attached agencies, provincial-level People’s Committees and press and publication agencies at home and abroad.

5. To develop mechanisms for exchange, coordination, provision and sharing of information between state agencies and press agencies.

6. To develop and implement plans on training and retraining in external information skills and operations for persons in charge of external information work in ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-attached agencies, provincial-level People’s Committees, and press and publishing agencies, and for editors and translators.

7. To inspect, examine, handle violations and settle complaints and denunciations in external information activities in accordance with law.

8. To make and submit to the Government reports on external information activities; to guide contents and time to get data for reporting.

9. To hold preliminary and final reviews on external information activities; to commend and discipline agencies, organizations and individuals engaged in external information activities.

Article 19. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs

1. To assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with related ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-attached agencies and provincial-level People’s Committees in, carrying out external information activities overseas; to coordinate with the Ministry of Information and Communications in managing external information activities overseas.

2. To voice official views and stance of Vietnam on international issues; to organize international press conferences; to prepare answers of state leaders and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to interviews of foreign reporters.

3. To coordinate with related ministries and agencies in guiding local press in covering external activities of state leaders and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and coordinate in guiding the coverage of external-related international and domestic issues.

4. To monitor, study and sum up foreign news to serve external information.

5. To guide and provide information for the foreign press; to provide information for overseas Vietnamese communities and international communities; to provide information on the world situation to Vietnamese people.

Article 20. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

1. To assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Information and Communications and related agencies in, providing information on and introducing and promoting the culture and tourism of Vietnam.

2. To assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Information and Communications and related ministries and agencies in, organizing overseas events under its management.

3. To direct overseas Vietnam Culture Centers in external information work in host countries, to effectively use and create conditions for related agencies to use overseas Vietnam Culture Centers to serve external information activities.

Article 21. The Ministry of Public Security

1. To assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Information and Communications in, guiding and examining organizations and individuals at home and abroad in observing the secret protection regime in external information activities in order to ensure that external information activities comply with this Decree.

2. To monitor and summarize information relating to external security to propose guidelines and measures for explanation and clarification of slanted information on Vietnam.

3. To ensure security and safety for external information activities in line with orientations of the Party and the State; to detect and fight activities of hostile forces taking advantage of external information against Vietnam.

4. To assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Information and Communications and related ministries and agencies in, organizing specialized external information activities through particular channels and measures, contributing to ensuring national interests and security of Vietnam.

Article 22. The Ministry of Finance

1. To assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Information and Communications in, appraising annual budget estimates for external information activities and submitting them to competent authorities for approval.

2. To ensure state budget funds for the implementation of external information programs, plans, schemes and activities already approved by the Government or the Prime Minister.

3. To assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with related agencies in, developing mechanisms, policies and funding norms for external information activities.

Article 23. The Ministry of Home Affairs

To coordinate with the Ministry of Information and Communications and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in promulgating documents guiding the strengthening of the state management apparatus for external information; to guide ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-attached agencies and provincial-level People’s Committees in assigning personnel to take charge of external information work.

Article 24. Ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-attached agencies, provincial-level People’s Committees

1. To organize the provision of information for the people to understand Vietnam’s international integration process and opportunities, risks and challenges in this process; to train and retrain in external information skills for personnel in charge of this work.

2. To direct the development and organize the implementation of their action plans and work plans on external information.

3. To annually develop plans and cost estimates for external information activities, include them in their budget estimates and send them to the finance agencies of the same level for summarization and submission to competent authorities for consideration and decision.

4. To update information and develop their external information data systems and integrate them into the database on external information to promote the image of Vietnam overseas.

5. To coordinate with the Ministry of Information and Communications in carrying out international cooperation on external information activities.

6. To hold preliminary and final reviews on the effectiveness of external information activities under their management and send reports to the Ministry of Information and Communications or irregular reports when so requested for summarization and reporting to the Government.

7. To assign organizations or individuals to take charge of external information activities.

8. To ensure confidentiality of information under their management according to regulations on confidentiality; to organize inspection, examination, handling of violations and settlement of complaints and denunciations in external information activities under their management.

9. Ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-attached agencies, provincial-level People’s Committees and news and press agencies of Vietnam shall periodically or extraordinarily report on external information activities under their management.

Chapter IV

IMPLEMENTATION PROVISIONS

Article 25. Effect

1. This Decree takes effect on October 22, 2015.

2. The Prime Minister’s Decision No. 79/2010/QD-TTg of November 30, 2010, ceases to be effective on the effective date of this Decree.

Article 26. Responsibilities for guidance and implementation

1. The Ministry of Information and Communications shall guide and urge the implementation of this Decree as assigned by the Government.

2. Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, heads of government-attached agencies and chairpersons of provincial-level People’s Committees shall implement this Decree.-

On behalf of the Government

Prime Minister

NGUYEN TAN DUNG